There is little that can compare to lounging on a Sunday. Unless it is a really productive Sunday that makes the evening lounging even sweeter. This is Meadow, our new cat, she is an accomplished lounger. Today the whole time Joe and I were spreading 6 buckets of sealer on the driveway, she napped on and off. Meadow is 12, so napping is a big part of her day. At the moment while Joe and I sit with heater packs on sore backs she is chilling in between us just enjoying her afternoon.

The last week of October begins. I did not get to read or write blogs yet again until the end of the week. And yet… I did get more cracks filled in the driveway in preparation for sealing it the end of this week. It seems for each crack filled another appears, but we are gaining on it in spite of the spate of heavy rain. I also got more stuff out of the house/garage, think early 1980 TV, old computer monitor, old docking station and bags of fabric and such to a textile drive. I also did some big organizing in my dining room turned studio. I hadn’t expected that 5 months after leaving my studio I still would be in a mess. But a home studio has drawbacks. While the commute is great, the chores are always just around the corner making grumbly noises. Joe and I also got out 2 days on long hikes, today on a short walk. It beats last October this time that is for sure, even with all the ups and downs that go with TBI and bypass recovery.

Autumn days are fleeting. I am busy getting many overdue chores done before the leaves fall. The leaves are winning, but I soldier on. I have tackled the crack repair and sealing of the driveway, only about 25% left before I can pour that sealer on. I have been squeezing in a tiny bit of creative time each week, whether photography or mixed media. Not nearly as much as I would like though. I still have one show to get ready for and plenty of website work to get new pieces up ahead of Christmas. Why is it the chores are not fleeting? Yet they are not. Squeezing in fun time around chores is part of life, but oh how I long to just abandon the chores and hope elves come and do them! For now I will chip away at the chores, and I know I will be very pleased at accomplishing them, and I will take the fun spots as they come. I can always pull off the road to enjoy the view.

Street scene in Cambridge MA on one of my many morning walks from the subway station to the rehab hospital. It was a very weird fall, lots of walking and hoping. This fall has a different tempo, neglected chores from last year and walks in the woods. It is a better season now.

A little spot of autumn that I like to stop and enjoy. I used to see it everyday as I went to pick up the girls from school, in the days before they could drive. Now they are off at college, and my days don’t take me on the same route. So yesterday, when we happened to be passing by, I had to pull over and take a photo. Autumn is so fleeting, one day the leaves are green, then the colors burst forth and suddenly the trees are bare and ready for winter. This season, so different from last fall, is one I am enjoying – however small the moments.